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Boston Red Sox's Jacoby Ellsbury makes a catch on a ball hit by Detroit Tigers' Omar Infante in the second inning during Game 4 of the American League baseball championship series Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013, in Detroit.
(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

In a season where the dominant lineup and revitalized pitching staff grabbed all the headlines, the Boston Red Sox defense went a little bit under the radar.

Fortunately for the Sox's top defenders, their efforts were not ignored on an individual basis, with Rawlings announcing on Twitter that 2B Dustin Pedroia, RF Shane Victorino and CF Jacoby Ellsbury are finalists for AL Gold Glove awards.

As a team, the Red Sox ranked ninth in the MLB in fielding percentage. However, defensive ratings in baseball are still pretty new, especially for those who actually do the voting for the Gold Glove awards. For the most part, the awards are handed out on a basis of reputation and the eye test.

One of the players with the best defensive reputations at second base is Pedroia. However, the stats back up his nomination, with the Sox 2B recording a 10.9 UZR this season, the second highest mark of his career and tops among AL at the position. (UZR is Ultimate Zone Rating, a defensive metric that measures, range, arm strength and other defensive factors.)

Meanwhile, Victorino flourished in right field for the Red Sox, making the transition from an uber-athletic center fielder during his prime in the NL to a still quick, but savvy right fielder in Boston. Victorino's 24.0 UZR as an outfielder is by far his highest mark, almost doubling his second highest mark and is the highest of any AL outfielder.

Finally, Ellsbury has long roamed center field at Fenway as one of the fastest and most dynamic fielders in the game, though his arm strength leaves much to be desired. Ellsbury's career low -4.2 Outfield Arm score from Fangraph brings his his UZR down to a merely very good 10.0, which ranks eighth among AL outfielders and third among center fielders. Still, few players make the highlight reel catches like Ellsbury.